The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday confirmed its intention to push for cricket’s inclusion in the Olympic Games and has started preparations for a bid with the primary target being its addition to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the body said in a statement.
"We would love for cricket to be a part of future Games. Our sport is united behind this bid, and we see the Olympics as a part of cricket's long-term future. We have more than a billion fans globally and almost 90 percent of them want to see cricket at the Olympics," said Greg Barclay, the ICC chairman said in the statement.
The ICC has assembled a working group, which will be chaired by England and Wales Cricket Board Chair Ian Watmore. He will be joined by ICC Independent Director Indra Nooyi, Chair of Zimbabwe Cricket Tavengwa Mukuhlani, ICC Associate Member Director and Vice President of the Asian Cricket Council Mahinda Vallipuram and Chair of USA Cricket Parag Marathe.
“Clearly cricket has a strong and passionate fanbase, particularly in South Asia where 92% of our fans come from whilst there are also 30 million cricket fans in the USA. The opportunity for those fans to see their heroes competing for an Olympic medal is tantalising,” she added. "We believe cricket would be a great addition to the Olympic Games, but we know it won't be easy to secure our inclusion as there are so many other great sports out there wanting to do the same. But we feel now is the time to put our best foot forward and show what a great partnership cricket and the Olympics could be."
The ICC's LA28 (Los Angeles 2028) proposal received a big boost in April when the Indian cricket board agreed to send its men's and women's teams to the 2028 Olympics, if cricket is included. Greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting have backed the ICC proposal.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had earlier been the biggest opponents of cricket's inclusion in Olympics. The process for inclusion of sports in LA28 begins in mid-2022. The International Olympic Committee will take a decision on the LOC's proposals for inclusion of sports in mid-2023.
(With Inputs from IANS)
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